Feeding mechanism for postal canceling-machines.



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No. 650,4lo. 'Patentd may 29, |900. A. E. mmm.

FEEDING MECHANISM FUR POSTAL GANGELING MACHINES.

(Application led Aug. 9, 1899.) l (No Model.) ZSheets-Sheet 2.

l lllllIlilllllll|||IIIIlIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIHIIIIIIlIlllIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIII! Wifnesses: A ALQIDAS/IENNE MORlNlnvenfQr,

M@ l A. bmneys' 35" vtive thereof.

.Amiens ETIN'NE MORIN,

or MONTREAL, oNAnA.

f Faccine `MacMania-ivi Foa POSTAL cANCELiNG-MAeHlNss SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,410, dated 1312.37.29, `1900.

Application filed August 9, 1899.

To all wfmmfit'may/ concern:

Be 1t known that I, ALCID'As ETIENNE Mo- RIN, a subject of Her MajestyV the Queen of Great Britain, residing in thecity and district 5 of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new an-d useful-Im provements in Feeding Mechanisms for Postal Canceling-Machines; and I do hereby declaro thatrthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable'others skilled in the art to which it apperl ins'to-make and'use the. same.

This 1n' Vention relates tomaehincs f or canceling the postage ou mail-matter, and one object is to provide a feeding vmechanism for such machines by which the letters, die., are rapidly and automatically fed to the cancelingmachine and inwhich all liability of feeding more than one letter ata time to the canceling-rollers is obviated. A u

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which iscertain .and reliable in operation.

To these ends the invention .consists in a feeding mechanism for postage canceling machines constructed substantially as hereinafter illustrated and described, and defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure l is a top or plan View of a feeding mechanism",constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 isaview in perspec' The serious defect encountered in machines for canceling postal matter as in present use is the liability of two or more letters being fed to the machine at. the same time, whereby some letters are not canceled. This necessitates the examination of theQcanceled letters and the canceling of these letters which were uneanceled, a procedureyvhich consumes considerable time. Furthermore; in ordert'o 'guard againstv the liability of letters passing through without being canceled the entire time and attention of an employee is necessary, who practically feedsthe letters through to the canceling-rollers one at a time.

5o These defects are entirely removed bythe feeding device hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A represents the supportadj acent roller.

,. sure-plate E is preferably curved, as shown,

BerialNo. 726,675.` (No model.)

Aing-frame, which Amay be of any usual or preferred form and construction, and A the guideway in which the mail-matter C is placed 5 5 to be fed to the feeding-rollers B, B', and-B2. These feeding-rollers are.vertically-supported in any suitable manner, the' construction shown for this purpose comprising a series of rods h, fixed to the frame A and having bear- 6o ings atp-their extremities, in which are journaled the shafts b of thefeed-rollers. Fixed upon each of the feed -rollers is a gear b2, which mesh with intermediate cog-wheels 11S, whereby the rollers are rotated by means of any suitable power, the connections with which are not shown, as they may be of .any usualor preferred character. The rollers B, of which there are preferably two, are o f Athe same diameter and are located at the endof 7ov the guideway A in position to contact with the letters and start them toward the canceline-rollers D, vwhich may be of any usual or preferred construction. The rollers B' and B2 are of greater dialnet-er than the rollers B, .7 5 and the diameter of the roller B2 is greater than the diameter of the roller B', whereby the letters are fed forward to the cancelingrollers D with a constantly-increasing speed.

It is obvious that the number of the feeding-Bo rollers may be more than two; 'but experiment has demonstrated that two are suicient for the purpose.- The peripheries of the feed-rollers are on the same plane on the side adjacent to the letters to be fed through the de- 85 vice. The outer surfaces of the feed-'rollers v are preferably of rubber and may be suitably corrugated or otherwise roughened to insure a positive frictional contact with the letters,

as is obvious. A series of pressure-plates E, one for each roller, except the first one facingthe. guide- Wayyare pivoted to supporting-lugs e, fixed to the frame A in such a position as to be adapted to contact with, the surface of the 95 The outer edge of each presand i one or more slots e. are formed in said Ycurved edge. A suitable spring e2 is inter posed between the pressure-plate E and the roc* fram A in order to maintain a constant pressure against thefaoey of the roller and to permit the passage of biltone letter at a time `between thecnrved elgeoi' the pressure-plate u suitable depending lug, (not shown,) whichy and the roller. A suitable adjusting-screw Csis mounted upon the inner edge of the pres-v sure-plate E in order to prevent the curved edge thereof to press too firmly' against the face ofthe roller, and thus occasion unnecessary wear.

A series of friction-disks F, one adjacent to each feed-roller, except the irst roller, are pivoted to lugs f,itixed to the frame A, and suit ble springs'f are interposed between said disks and the frame to normally press said disks against the faceof its adjacent roller. A suitable adjustingscrew f2 is mounted upon the supporting-arm o f the disk v to prevent the disk from bearing too firmly against the face of the roller, and thus occasion'wear. The disks F do not rotate and are adapted to contact against the under side of the letter as it is passed through by the feed-rollers, so that in the event of two or more letters accidentally passing between the pressu re-plate and the feed-roller the disk will retard the under letter until the upper letter has been passed through by the rollers,where upon said under intol contact with the feedvroller and passed on in its turn.. The friction-disks F are pref- `erably made in the forni shown inorder that a minimum contacting surface may engage the latter and also in order that inthe event of fracture or wear a new contacting surface may be presented, thus prolonging the life of the friction-disk. It isobvious tha'tby means of this construction it will be impossible for more than one letter at a time to reach or pass the last roller B2. The edge of the frictiondisk F passes through the slot e' of the pressure-plate E and contacts with the surface of the feed-roller at a point slightly beyond the contactpoint of the pressure-plate E.

A feed-block G is mounted inthe gnideway A and is provided upon its lower side with a slot extends downwardly through a suitable A G, formed in the floor of the guideway. suitable cord block G and passed over suitable pulleys i xed in the framework, whereby the feedl place block is movedalong the guideway A', automatically feeding the letters C to the first feed-V rollers B.

It .is obvious from the construction' above described that the only attention required by the feeding mechanism is that the employee upon the letters will be automatically fed to the canceling-rollers without further atten- I tion.

letter will then be broughtl G2; having a Weight Grs at its end, is connected with the lug of' the feedthe letters on the guideway between.A the feed-block and the first feed-ro`ller,where machines, comprising,r a plu rality of feed-rolt ers; a guideway leading thereto', a spring-actuated 'presser-plate pivoted adjacent to said rollers; a stationary friciion-disk mounted on a yielding arm located adjacent to saidiollers; and means forrctating said rollers, substantially as described.

2. A feeding apparatus for postal cancel ing-v machines, comprising a plurality of feed-roll ers varying in diameter; va guideway leading thereto; a spring-actuated presser-plate pivoted adjacent to said rollers; a stationary friction-disk' mounted on a yielding arm lo` cated 'adjacent to` said rollers; and means for rotating *said rollers, substantially as described.

.3.' A feeding apparatus for postal canceling;- machines, comprising a plnralitjr of feed-rolt ers; a guideway leading thereto; a spring-actuated presser-plate pivotcd adjacent to said 4rollers foreach of said rollers, a stationary friction-,disk mounted on a yielding arm located adjacent to each of said rollers; and means for rotatingsaid rollers, substantially as described.

et. A feeding apparatus for postal cancelingfV machines, comprising a plurality of fcedwoll- A ers; a gnideway leading theretoa spring-ac tuated presserplate pivoted-adjacent to said rollers; astatlonary friction-disk mounted on' a yielding'arm located adjacent to said rollers; a feed-block` for automatically feed ing the postal matter to said rollers; and means for rotating said rollers, substantially as'described.

5. A feeding apparatus for postal cancelingmachines, comprising a plurality of feed-rollers; a guideway leading thereto; a spring-ae tuated presser-plate pivoted adjacent to said' rollers; a SpriDg-actuated stationary frictionidisk mounted on a yielding arm located adjacent to said rollers, and means for rotating said rollers, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof l have .hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnessesv ALCllDAS ETIENNE MORlN. Witnesses:

'.l. A. MARION, A. W. Yonne.

IXO 

